Wearing apparel impervious to acids and poisonous gases and process of making same



Sept. 25,1923. 9

c. D. ABRAHAM ET AL WEARING APPAREL IMPERVIOUS T0 ACIDS AND POISONOUS GASES AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed June 21, 1919 Cel/u/ose esfer (n/froceflulose) caAf/ny.

esferfil/frace/la/asd coafmg 7z/i/e fabric.

Fig. 2

Q/Mrafiam "4 GL S 6 Warfz lnvenfors 5y Meir af/omey CLINTON D. ABRAHAM AND GEORGE L. SCHWARTZ, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, AS-

SIGNORS TO E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS 8: COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

WEARING- A PPAREL IMIPEBVIOUS TO ACIDS AND POISONOUS GASES AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed June 21, 1919. Serial No. 305,921.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLINTON D. ABRA- HAM and Gnonon L. SCHWARTZ, citizens of the United States, and residents of Wilmington, county of New Castle, and State of Delaware, have invented a certain new and useful lVearing Apparel Impervious to Acids and Poisonous Gases and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a 10 specification.

This invention relates to wearing apparel which is impervious and resistant to acids, poisonous gases, and various other chemical reagents, against which ordinary apparel affords but slight protection; the invention v also relates to a process of making such apparel. More particularly the invention pertains to acid-resistant gloves and a process of making the same.

Protective gloves have heretofore been made of rubber; the practice of the rubber trade in this connection has been to dip porcelain forms repeatedly into rubber cement until the proper thickness of film has been built up, and then to cure the rubber in sulfur chloride solution, thereby producing an all-rubber product. According to another method the gloves are built up of rubberized stockinet in the manner of overshoes by cementing pieces together.

The above-mentioned old methods have certain disadvantages which it is one of the objects of our invention to avoid. The porcelain form which is used in making the allrubber product is difiicult to remove from the rubber coatingwhich has been built thereon. The all-rubber glove is expensive, and is not suitable as a protective covering against certain kinds of poisonous gases.

The gloves built up of rubberized stockinet are not sufliciently strong and durable. The seams constitute the weak portions of such gloves, it being din'icult to render these portions as strong and resistant to penetration by liquids asthe rest of the glove. f

Oneiobject of our invention is to provide a process of making gloves wherein the above recited disadvantages are avoided.

Another object of our invention is to provide a process of making protective gloves and other protective wearing apparel which is simpler and less expensive than processes heretofore known, such gloves being more comfortable than those produced by the above-mentioned processes.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of a glove embodying the invention as it relates to articles, and produced in accordance with the present process, with the various coatings broken back to show the fabric, and Figure 2 is an enlarged conventional cross sectional view taken at one of the seams of the glove.

Ve have discovered that it is practicable to make protective gloves with a fabric support by dipping into a cellulose ester solution gloves made up of a suitably treated fabric.

Our new process in general comprises applying to one side of a fabric, preferably composed of cotton, one or more coatings of a cellulose ester solution, as for instance a solution of pyroxylin. The coated material, after drying, is then made into gloves, which are placed on suitable forms and dipped into a cellulose ester solution similar to that employed in coating the fabric. After removing the gloves from the solution and drying them, the dipping and drying are preferably repeated one or more times to thoroughly cover all seams and cracks.

One of the preferred ways of carrying out our new process as applied to gloves may be illustrated by the following example:

The fabric 1 from which the gloves are to be made should have a smooth surface on one side in order that it may be given a smooth, even coating. The other side should have a soft, napped finish for warmth and comfort against the hand. The cloth best suited for this purpose is a twill, weave, cotton fabric, commonly known as sateen. Ithas a count of 93 x 64 and weighs 8.2 oz. per'square yard.

After one side of this fabric has been given a soft, napped finish by running over revolving wire brushes, it is coated on the smooth side with a solution of pyoxylin,

the composition of which is hereinafter described. I 7

Four coats are applied by running the fabric through a spreading machine of conventional design, using a sharp knife blade in applying the first two coats and a blade with rounded edge for the last two. This treatment makes difiicult the penetration of the fabric by the cellulose ester solution in which it is subsequently dipped.

The material thus coated as indicated at 2 is cut into the proper shape by dies and made up into gloves. For this purpose we prefer a mitten having a separate thumb and index finger and provided with a end at least six inches long.

The gloves are then placed on wooden forms so constructed as to extend the finger and thumb and present a smooth surface Without wrinkles. The form is then attached to a rack and lowered into a solution of the same nature as that used to coat the fabric.

After immersion in the solution the gloves are inverted and passed through a heated drying chamber. WVhen dried they are given a second coat.

The gloves are preferably given two or more dip coats to thoroughly cover all seams and cracks, as indicated at 3. They are then removed from the forms and allowed to dry thoroughly at room temperature.

The coating solution which .is spread on the fabric before the latter is made up into gloves, may have the following composition:

Parts. ,Nitrocellulose (dry) 4. 50 Castor .oil 4 to 15. 5 Pigment 1 to 5 Solvent 20 to 40 We have found a solution of the following composition to be suitable in this connection.

Parts.

Nitrocellulose 4% Castor oil u 7 Carbon black 3 Solvent 35 The pyroxylin solution into which the gloves are dipped has the same ingredients in substantially the same proportions as in the above formulas? except that more solvent (from 25 to 125 parts) is used. We prefer to use for this purpose a solution with the composition indicated in the second formula above except that 'about 77 instead of 35 parts of solvent is used.

The solvent used may vary considerably; we prefer to use a mixture of 60 parts of benzene, about 30 parts of ethyl acetate, and about 10 parts of denatured alcohol.

In place of castor oil in the above formulas other ordinary pyroxylin softeners, as for example other vegetable oils, may be "used.

Men wearing gloves made by this method can safely handle poisonous and corrosive solids, liquids and gases, Gloves can be made by this method much more rapidly and economically than by the methods commonly used in making acid proof gloves.

As will be evident from the above description, the new protective gloves may be said to comprise several pieces of suitably shaped fabric 1 preliminarily coated at 2 on one side. with a cellulose ester composition, said pieces being sewed together as at S, and being covered with an additional layer 3 of a nitrocellulose composition applied after the several pieces of fabric have been joined. The exterior surface of the glove is therefore a continuous film unbroken atthe seams.

The margin of the several pieces of fabric, that is the portion lying between the edge of the pieces of fabric and the seams, will not be exposed to the nitrocellulose solutions in which the assembled glove is dipped, and consequently the layer of nitrocellulose on said margins will not be as thick as the layer of nitrocellulose which constitutes the outside surface of the glove.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail it will be understood that thespecific examples given are merely illustrative and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim 1. The process of making acid-impervious and resistant seamed-fabric articles having one side, including the seams, protectively coated and the other side free of such coating, which comprises joining together suit ably shaped pieces of fabric, coated upon one side only with a cellulose ester, to 'give the article, applying a cellulose ester coating solution to said one side only and to the seams, and drying the thus coated article.

2. ,The process of makiniL acid-impervious and resistant seamed-fabric wearing apparel having one side, including the seams, protectively coated and the other side free of such coating, which comprises joining together suitably shaped pieces of fabric, coated upon one side only with nitrocellulose, to give the article, applying a nitrocellulose coating solution to said one side only and to the seams,

and drying the thus coated article.

3. The process of making protective seamed-fabric gloves having one side, including the seams, protectively coated and the other side free of coating for contact with the hand, which comprises joining together suitably shaped glove-portion pieces of fabother side free of coating for contact with the hand, which comprises coating the fabric 1.

in the web upon one side only with a cellulose ester, cutting the fabric'into suitably shaped glove-portion pieces, joining such pieces together to make the gloves, immersing the gloves in a cellulose ester coating composi tion, and drying the thus coated article.

6. A process of making protective gloves which comprises securing together suitably shaped pieces of twill weave cotton fabric, coated on one side with nitrocellulose and having a nap on the other, to make gloves with the napped side constituting the interior surface, placing said gloves on forms so that the gloves present a smooth surface, coating the gloves while on said forms with a nitrocellulose solution, allowing the coating to dry, and then removing the'gloves from the forms. v

7. A process of making protective gloves which comprises securing together suitably shaped pieces of twill weave cotton fabric, coated on one side with nitrocellulose and having a nap on the other, to make gloves with the napped side constituting the interior surface, placing said gloves on forms so that the gloves present a smooth surface, coatin the gloves while on said forms with a. solution containing four and one-half parts of nitrocellulose, from about 4 to 15 parts of vegetable oil softener, from about 1 to 5 parts of a pigment and from about 25 to 125 parts of a solvent comprising benzene, ethyl acetate and ethyl alcohol, allowing the coating to dry, and then removing the gloves from the forms. r

8. A protective article comprising a plu rality of pieces of'fabric sewed together and so coated upon the exterior side only with a cellulose ester as to be impervious to liquids.

9. A protective glove comprising a plurality of pieces of fabric sewed together and so coated upon the exterior side only with nitrocellulose as to be impervious to liquids.

10. A protective glove comprising a plurality of pieces of twill weave, cotton fabric sewed together and so coated upon the exterior side only with a cellulose ester mixed with a softener as to be impervious to liquids. 11. A protective glove comprising a plurality of pieces of nitrocellulose coated fabric sewed-together, and a coating of nitrocellulose in the form of a film continuous over all parts of the outer side of the glove, in-

cluding all of the seams, and constituting the exterior surface of said glove.

12. A protective glove comprising a plurality of pieces of cotton fabric sewed together and a coating comprising a cellulose ester mixed with a softener over all parts of the glove, including all of the seams, said coating being of sufiicient thickness to prevent penetration of said glove by liquids.

13. A protective glove made of cotton fat ric and having for its exteriorv surface a nitrocellulose film continuous over all parts of the outer side of the glove, including all of the seams, and of sufficient thickness to prevent penetration of said glove by acids and poisonous gases.

14. A protective glove made of cotton fabric having a soft, napped interior surface and having for its exterior surface a continuous film of a cellulose ester of suflicient thickness to prevent penetration of said glove by acids and poisonous gases.

15. A protective glove made of cotton fab-' tures. CLINTON D. ABRAHAM. GEORGE L. SCHWARTZ. 

